Car Insurance – Part 2: Bodily Injury Liability Coverage
This four-part series of blog posts is intended to inform and remind readers of important aspects of car insurance. Today, in part 2, I address "Bodily Injury Liability" coverage.
A Moral Argument in Favor of Adequate Bodily Injury Liabiltiy Coverage
The phrase "first, do no harm" is often considered an ethical standard of the medical profession. But all drivers on roadways would do well to apply the same principle to driving: "first, do no harm."
Unfortunately, inattentive driving, impatience while driving, texting while driving, road rage, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, describe some of the ways the principle "first, do no harm" is violated, with the awful result of bodily harm to others.
Surely any responsible person would not want the harm already done in a car crash to be compounded because the person at fault failed to have adequate liability insurance to pay for the injuries inflicted. That would be worse than adding insult to injury; it would be adding injury to injury.
What is Bodily Injury Liability Coverage?
Bodily Injury Liability insurance coverage of the at-fault driver pays for the bodily injury damages suffered by others because of the negligent conduct of the at-fault driver. Such damages include:
- Emergency aid at the scene of the crash
- Hospital and medical bills
- Compensation for lost income
- Funeral expenses
- Physical pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Bodily Injury Liability coverage also pays for the insured person's legal defense if he/she is sued as the result of a car crash. Keep in mind, though, that Bodily Injury Liabiltiy coverage does not pay for the at-fault insured's own injuries or the injuries of anyone else named on the insurance policy.
Bodily Injury coverage is sold by insurance companies in stadard increments, such as: $25,000/$50,000, $50,000/$100,000, $100,000/$300,000, $300,000/$500,000, and $500,000/$1million. These increments of insurance coverage are presented in "split limits," where the lower number on the left is the maximum amount payable per injured person, and the higher number on the right is the maximum amount payable for all injured persons per accident.
Over and over again, I have seen the inadequacy of a "minimum limits" $25,000/$50,000 Bodily Injury Liability insurance policy, to pay the medical expenses and other damages of severely injured victims of car crashes. In those situations, not only is the permanently injured victim not made whole or fairly compensated for life-altering injuries, but the personal assets of the at-fault driver are put at risk because the negligent driver failed to purchase adequate bodily injury liability coverage from his/her insurance company.
I encourage you to review the declarations page on your insurance policy, and to have a conversation with your auto insurance carrier as to the adequacy of your Bodily Injury Liabiltiy coverage.
About the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm
At Rocky McElhaney Law Firm, we zealously represent our clients' personal injury claims arising from car crashes. If you or your loved one has been injured due to someone's negligence, please contact us so that we can help you obtain full compensation for the harms and damages you have suffered. Call us at (615) 425-2500.